Hi all,
I've got a strange problem that I'm hoping someone
has seen before. My mechanic normally works on certified aircraft, so
he's contacted Lancair; but I think the answer lies here with the real
experts.
On a return from a cross country, I wasn't able to
get my RPM and manifold pressure to 'square up' the way I wanted; but the trip
did end without any major incidents(a little backfiring from the rookie pilot
not slowing early enough) and I landed home safe. I asked the
mechanic to check out the airplane. The mechanic noted that after
starting the engine, the manifold pressure(vacuum) indicated down in the mid
teens and stayed there. He wasn't able to increase it either by
increasing RPM or by adjusting the prop governor (blue knob). We were
able to cycle the prop and note a decrease in RPM, but the manifold pressure
never came up (while the engine was running). The pressure read normal
altimeter setting with the engine off. We had planned on a flight to see
if the indications were different in the air, and figured it was just a
read-out problem and not an airworthiness issue. On the takeoff roll, I
noted that the RPM's exceeded red-line on my gauges; with less than full power
(I roll in power gently). I aborted the take-off roll as it was apparent
I had a runaway prop.
To make this all a bit more interesting, I purchased
this airplane and flew 5 hours cross country back home, did an additional 15
hours of flight training, and never once added a drop of oil. It has
always been at exactly 7 qts. I noticed I'm now at 6 qts, and on
pre-flight prior to my trip home from my cross-country, I noted 6.25 qts of
oil. Oil pressure and temperature all were normal
throughout.
Any thoughts? I'm thinking the prop governor
needs to be replaced.
Thanx for all the great help,
Dave
P.S.
Looking forward to meeting some of you
in Arizona in September.